Case Study - Warehouse Automation
RFID Warehouse Automation: 16,800 Paint Barrels Processed Per Hour
A high-volume warehouse operation needed throughput and accuracy that manual handling simply could not deliver. Ajinkya Technologies deployed an RFID warehouse automation system that now processes 16,800 paint barrels per hour with real-time inventory accuracy.
The deployment shows how the right identification technology, engineered for sustained industrial throughput, can transform a labour-bound warehouse into a high-speed, self-documenting operation - without adding people or sacrificing accuracy.
Free scoping call. We start with one line, never change your machine logic, and you own the code and the data.
The challenge
The operation moved enormous volumes of barrels through receiving, storage and dispatch, but relied on manual scanning and counting. Throughput was capped by how fast people could physically read and key data, and inventory accuracy suffered from the inevitable errors of high-speed manual handling.
To meet demand, the warehouse needed automated identification fast enough to keep pace with the line - and accurate enough to trust the numbers without constant reconciliation.
The solution Ajinkya Technologies built
We deployed an RFID-based automation system that reads barrels in motion, capturing identity and movement automatically across receiving, binning and dispatch. The system was engineered for sustained high throughput, removing the manual scan-and-key bottleneck entirely.
Captured events feed real-time inventory and reconcile automatically with the back-office system, so stock positions are accurate continuously rather than after periodic counts.
The architecture was designed to keep capturing reliably under continuous, high-speed operation - the genuinely hard part of industrial RFID - and to integrate cleanly with the systems the warehouse already ran, so adoption did not require ripping out existing processes.
- RFID read-in-motion for barrels across receiving, binning and dispatch
- Throughput engineered to sustain 16,800 barrels per hour
- Real-time inventory accuracy with automatic reconciliation
- Elimination of the manual scan-and-key bottleneck
The measurable result
The deployment now processes 16,800 paint barrels per hour - a throughput unreachable with manual handling - while maintaining real-time inventory accuracy. The warehouse moves more volume with fewer people and far fewer errors, and managers trust the live stock picture.
It is a clear demonstration that industrial-grade RFID automation, engineered properly, scales to the most demanding throughput requirements.
Why this matters for high-volume warehouses
Throughput ceilings imposed by manual scanning are invisible until you try to grow - then they cap output and force expensive overtime or extra shifts. RFID read-in-motion lifts that ceiling, letting volume scale without a linear increase in headcount.
Real-time accuracy compounds the benefit: when the stock picture is trustworthy at all times, downstream planning, dispatch and customer commitments become more reliable, and the constant firefighting around inventory discrepancies disappears. For any operation moving large volumes of uniform items, this pattern delivers fast, measurable returns.
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Common concerns, answered
Will this disrupt production?
No. We connect read only first, install during planned stops, and edge devices buffer data so a network problem never stops a machine. Nothing writes to a PLC without your controls team and a test.
Our machines are old. Do we need to replace them?
No. Old machines are the usual case. A running signal, a cycle signal or a current sensor on the motor is enough to start, without touching the machine program.
We tried a system before and nobody used it.
That is the most common failure, so we design with the operators and supervisors who will use it, start with one report they already fill in by hand, and only extend once they rely on it.
What about IT security?
Read only by default, a segmented OT network, and a review with your IT team before anything connects, following the ISA/IEC 62443 zone approach.
We will not replace SAP or Oracle. Do we have to?
No. We connect to the ERP you already run through its standard interfaces and add what the shop floor is missing. Your ERP stays the system of record.
Do your engineers understand a heavy industrial floor?
Our systems run in steel plants, warehouses and process lines. We start every project by walking the line with your operators and supervisors, and the first release is tested by them, not only by IT.
Are we locked in?
No. You own the source code and the data, documented, in your own repository. Another team can maintain it.
Need this kind of warehouse throughput?
Tell us about your volumes and accuracy targets and we will scope an RFID automation solution with measurable ROI.
Step 1
An engineer reads it
Not a sales bot. Our team replies within 24 hours with questions or times for a call.
Step 2
30 minute call
Your process, machines, systems and the number you want to move. We tell you honestly if we are a fit.
Step 3
A written scope for one line
What we would connect, what you would see, how long it takes. You decide; nothing starts without your approval.